Kora felt like her day went from zero to a thousand now. She drove home in silence with him sitting there. The entire time she still wasn't sure if this was happening or not. She gave a rush of air as she got out of the car and grabbed the book. He did not say anything to her as they drove. He just stared out the window, seeming to take everything in. This was just so bizarre, things like this were not real. They couldn't be and yet here she was. She grabbed the book from her dash. Figured she was going to need to read it for real this time got out and went up to her apartment complex. Kora went inside before going up the stairs. Her apartment was in the corner at the end of the long hall.
She went in and just left the door open, she heard it close. Though didn't look back, she flipped open the book and flipped to the last page. Her name was there with the year and it was bright red, she knew damn well she hadn't signed this book, but she touched just below her nose. There were no drops of blood from her nose there like there should have been. She flipped back to the front where the writing was in that weird language again, but seemed to shift as she looked at it.
"Okay, assuming you aren't a really vivid illusion like I want to believe." She still couldn't believe what happened earlier. She couldn't completely wrap her head around him standing here. Someone she wasn't sure was real, but seemed to be and she just let him in her home. He stood there staring at her as she was in her kitchen and had set the book on the table there.
"Where exactly did you come from? I don't remember signing my name in this book, but I see it there and I sure didn't take it either." She tapped it and he glanced at it.
"Did you not read what was written?" He asked first before answering her. He clearly expected that she should have read it.
"I read the first page, and it did a funny thing changing language." He seemed to think for a moment and looked back at the book. Orion figured he needed to explain or they were going to be stuck in a loop.
"It is a contract, I came from the book. It will change language if you can't understand the original writing. However, depending on your language, some things may not be as clear as others. Translations are never perfect." She picked up the book, opening it and looking back at the first page. Then turned it reading into the next. Pinching the bridge of her nose she looked at what appeared to be a list of rules.
"I'm taking it you are Orion then." He gave a kind of nod. She glanced at the list and wasn't sure what to make of this.
"I'm really having a hard time with this, I didn't sign this book."
"You read and put your blood in it. That is a signature." He told her like she was being daft.
"I had a nose bleed, a couple drops!" She snapped back at him. "That is hardly signing.
"You just so happened to have a nosebleed after reading the lines on the first page?" He clearly wasn't buying the chances of that. She had to say if she was going to believe this, that it seemed far fetched. Quite poor timing.
"Well that's what happened." That's all she could say. It was true.
"Well it still clearly counts because I am here. So what is it you need, everyone needs something." She stared at him for a minute and then glanced back down at the rules.
"You are supposed to do anything that is commanded of you by the one that invoked this contract?"
"Yes, clearly." He'd told her this already or asked it of her. Though she hadn't really given a formal command. "So long as you clearly state it as a command."
"And it says for every five you get one of me? And I need to supply you…" She wasn't sure the word there for a moment. "of willful energy." She noted how the words shifted as she stared at them. This was so twilight zone.
"Yes."
"Like what? What is that supposed to mean?"
"Everyone needs something, I have to eat to keep my physical body going just like you, but the more you request of me the more my spiritual energy will suffer. So you replenish what you take from me in the form of commands and tasks. You'll give me what I need back or require to stay healthy. Be it food or blood."
"Are you a freaking vampire!" She asked in nearly a shout. He looked like he might roll his eyes. Though his jaw clenched instead for a moment.
"No I am not a vampire, they are a repugnant race." Okay, clearly didn't like vampires. She also wasn't going to touch on the fact he thought them real with that tone. Way too much for her mind right now.
"Then what are you?"
"A demigod." He told her, and he wasn't sure why she didn't just read the damn book. It was all right there. Though she clearly really hadn't read the thing to know. Everyone that summoned him knew what they were doing. What he could be used for.
"A demigod." She rubbed her forehead again. "Of course how simple." She lowered her hand. Then looked back in the book reading some more of what was in there. She wasn't so sure she liked the last few lines of what were in there.
"Unto death do we part."
"We are stuck like this until one of us dies?"
"Mostly until you die." Well that was just freaking great.
"That sounds like marriage vows, with a couple others in here." She said and he just stared at her for a moment.
"That's because they are. From a different time than yours. From a time when marriage was a pact between people for gain. You wanted the use of me to further yourself, then you don't get to live freely either. You betray me or those vows, I can end our contract whenever I choose." Kora looked up from the book and at him.
"It says unto death." He didn't say anything but she clearly got the message.
"You'll kill me, you get to kill me!" He still didn't respond. She read back over it. "You kill the rest in this book?" She snapped looking at the names.
"Not all of them, most I have dealt with weren't the greatest people. Others wanted them dead first and I had no inkling to help them. They didn't command I protect them implicitly so I didn't. Those that did, well they always broke the vow. Do you think I want to be as I am? A slave to other's whims? I'd rather just stay asleep in those pages." He didn't feel like he needed to hide anything from her at the moment. It wasn't like she was going to be able to kill him.
"Well like I said I don't need you for anything. So you can hop back in the pages if you want, or just take your book and go do what you want. Actually I'll just command it of you, here you go. I command you to take this book and be free. There's the door." She said shoving it into his stomach as she moved toward the living room.
"There we go, problem solved. You have a great life, sorry it sucked being stuck." She went toward her room pushing the door open. Orion stood there holding the book looking down at the cursed thing, and couldn't believe that she just said that. No one had ever tried to dismiss him before like that. Just free him without a thought, unfortunately that wasn't going to work. Or he could have found a bleeding heart somewhere over time that might have done what she just did. Still he was stunned at her uncaring attitude about him and his freedom. She really had no idea just what he could do. He had abilities that were god-like.
"That isn't how this works. I can't be commanded free of the book. I'm cursed to it." He spoke up and turned moving toward her room. She stepped back into view and was holding a shirt in her one hand.
"That's ridiculous, you just said you have to follow any command given." He gave her a dark look.
"You are ridiculous, do you think a person gets cursed to such a fate like this and then can so easily be released? You're a fool." He told her rather harshly.
"I'm a fool!" She touched her chest. "I'm not the invisible freaking man making others look insane! I'm not the one stuck in a book. I'm sorry you did something in your past to piss someone off to get stuck in there. Because let's face it, those that do good things, normally don't get cursed like you seem to be. Don't tell me you were the pope, because you just said you killed people in that book." Kora turned and threw her hands up.
"Oh my god I'm arguing with my imagination."
"I am not a figment of your imagination, and you are aggravating me." She could kind of see her breath now, the air was getting colder. Kora moved toward the bathroom with her clothes to change, because she wasn't going to do it where he was standing real or not.
"Then how are you free of the thing, because that would clearly solve our issue wouldn't it?" He looked like he tried to speak but barely gave a sound. He frowned and opened his mouth but stopped again.
"Well come on out with it, I command it." He tried to speak and Orion had never had this happen before. He felt this really hot pain in his throat a second later. He coughed putting a hand up and blood came out. He lurched slightly and more came out.
"Oh my gosh," Kora ran into the bathroom and grabbed a towel. He dropped the book and put a hand to the wall there and his throat was really starting to burn. It hurt really bad and he couldn't speak, what the hell? That had never happened before, if he'd been asked it he'd always been able to tell them because they wanted to know to make sure they didn't accidentally free him.
"Here," She handed him a towel and went to the kitchen grabbing a glass. She had no idea what she should do for him.
"I," He sounded like he was in some serious pain and his eyes were watering.
"Stop don't talk!" She said. "It's fine don't tell me, that is why right?" He gave a nod, but he wasn't sure why and looked at her. He took her comment as a command, even if she wasn't explicit. Which since he accepted it as such then he felt the tick in his head at the number she'd given so far, but nothing she'd commanded was worth energy or an expense to himself. Other than the bleeding of course. Though his throat began to heal immediately.
"Are you okay?" He just gave a kind of nod and took the glass of water to rise out his mouth and throat. After a minute or so he spoke.
"That has never happened before." He stated. "I've always been able to speak of it." She raised an eyebrow and reached up touching his forehead. He leaned back from her looking at her suspiciously.
"No fever, you feel normal." This was becoming a very serious hallucination, and that was what she wanted to keep believing.
"Look, just do whatever. Eat, drink and do whatever, I'm going to change." She said to him moving around him and not sure what she was going to do with this situation. She figured she was staying in the rest of the day. Going to relax and see if a bit of R and R got her mind clear. He didn't say anything and she went to the bathroom closing and locking the door. Should she be worried about him and the bleeding? She felt bad, but what was she going to do? Call the hospital for a semi invisible demigod? She thought not, they'd really check her in then.